Department of Chemistry Graduate Affairs Announcements

Archives for January 2020

Machine Learning Nexus in Physical Sciences: Seminars and Nexus Social Hours Launch

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On Tuesday, 28 January at 2:00 p.m. in NSII 1201 Assoc. Prof. Michael Pritchard of Earth System Science will present the inaugural seminar for all Physical Sciences researchers interested in machine learning (title and abstract below). The talk will include fascinating insight into use of machine learning and also present topics which will lead immediately at the end of the seminar into general discussion of machine learning needs for Physical Sciences research. This seminar series will be offered every other Tuesday at 2 in NSII 1201 to inform, engage, and facilitate artificial intelligence research activities throughout all four PS departments.

On Friday, 31 January at 4:00 in NSII 1201 there will be a Machine Learning Nexus Social Hour. This social hour will have a focus on facilitating conversations on machine learning at a more informal level. Conversation will be facilitated at the social hour and elsewhere by our new graduate student Data Science Fellows Jacob Hollingsworth (Phys & Astron), Tien-Yiao Hsu (ESS), Bhupalee Kalita (Chem), and Ziang Long (Math).

Come to these events to help make the Machine Learning Nexus in Physical Sciences a useful tool for your research and career. And also contribute and keep track of the Machine Learning Nexus at https://ps.uci.edu/psml/ .

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Make it Personal: Strategies for Effective Science Communication

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Stephanie Hamilton, PhD
AAAS Mass Media Fellow, Indianapolis Star
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
Department of Physics, University of Michigan

January 22, 2020  |  2:00PM  |  NSII 2201

A long-held belief of scientists and science communicators has been in the “knowledge deficit” model of communication — that is, the reason for public skepticism of science is simply because of lack of knowledge. In the knowledge deficit model, “educating the public” by providing them with more facts will change minds. However, a wealth of literature has demonstrated that fact-dumps are not effective at changing public views of science, because people generally make decisions using personal beliefs and experiences in addition to facts. In this seminar, I will discuss strategies to avoid falling back onto the knowledge deficit model and communicate your science more effectively. Please come prepared to interact with each other!

Dr. Stephanie Hamilton is a recent graduate from the University of Michigan physics department. Her graduate work focused on repurposing the Dark Energy Survey’s extragalactic dataset for solar system astronomy. When she wasn’t searching for and studying new objects orbiting the Sun beyond Neptune, she spent her time communicating new science results to other scientists and the general public, in addition to training fellow researchers to do the same. She has trained over 500 researchers in effective science communication techniques through initiatives like the RELATE organization at the University of Michigan and the Communicating Science Conference for graduate students (ComSciCon), and has regularly shared new science results with the public as an author for Astrobites and a 2019 AAAS Mass Media Fellow.

RSVP: https://ps.uci.edu/sci-comm

Call for Abstracts: 2020 University of California Chemical Symposium – Due Feb 3

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Abstracts are now open for the 2020 University of California Chemical Symposium! This year’s UCCS will be held March 22nd-24th at the beautiful Lake Arrowhead Conference Center. We are honored to have Professor Jillian Buriak from the University of Alberta as our Ursa Lecturer and Professor David Olson from UC Davis as our Lux Lecturer. The program will again include a variety of workshops and professional development events, exciting talks and posters, and great social activities.

Abstracts can be submitted at https://www.ucchemsym.org/attend through February 3rd. Registration is only $359 and includes all lodging, meals, and conference activities (registration through February 24th and will open following abstract submissions).

2020 Tom Angell Fellowship – Due Feb 21

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Application Form

The Graduate Division is now accepting nominations for the Tom Angell Fellowship, which will be awarded in Winter 2020. This fellowship is intended to honor Tom Angell’s contributions as our Graduate Counselor to graduate student wellness and retention. The award is open to graduate students, faculty, and postdoctoral scholars.

Award Amount
One $500 fellowship award will be made to one graduate student; one $500 award will be made to one faculty member; and one $500 award will be made to one postdoctoral scholar. The faculty award must be used as a fellowship to a student of the faculty’s choice. The student and postdoctoral scholar awards must be used to support student/postdoc professional development.

Submission Deadline: Friday, February 21, 2020 at 12:00pm (noon)

Qualifications
Faculty Nominees

  1. Must have shown excellent mentorship of UC Irvine graduate students

Graduate Student Nominees

  1. Must have shown excellent mentorship of fellow UC Irvine students
  2. Must be making satisfactory academic progress

Postdoctoral Scholar Nominees

  1. Must have shown excellent mentorship of UC Irvine graduate students or fellow postdoctoral scholars.

*Please confirm that the nominee holds a postdoctoral title with UCI before submitting a nomination.

Evaluation Criteria

  • Nominee has mentored on a consistent basis throughout their time at UCI
  • Nominee has gone above and beyond the normal responsibilities of their position to create newopportunities for mentorship
  • Nominee has been recognized for their mentorship through receipt of awards or delegation of responsibilityin mentorship

Submit proposals to: Turner Dahl, tdahl@uci.edu

Save the Date: Recipients will be honored at the annual Inclusive Excellence Event hosted by the Office of Inclusive Excellence on April 14th, from 2:00pm – 4:00pm. All nominees and nominators are encouraged to attend (location TBA).

Grad Slam Applications – Due Jan 16

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Grad Slam is back and we want YOU to bring the Slammy back to UCI!

What is Grad Slam?
Grad Slam is a systemwide competition that showcases and awards the best three-minute research presentations by graduate scholars. This competition not only highlights the excellence, importance and relevance of UCI graduate scholars and their research, but it is also designed to increase graduate students’ communication skills and their capacity to effectively present their work with poise and confidence. It is an opportunity to share accomplishments with the campus, friends of UCI, the local community, and the broader public.

Why Apply?
Grad Slam contestants receive advanced communication skills training and a competitive CV/resume line. Additionally, winners receive cash prizes up to $5,000! The systemwide winner earns the coveted title of 2019 Grad Slam Champion and the coveted “Slammy”. The event is open to ALL graduate students!

Questions? Contact Turner Dahl at tdahl@uci.edu or visit our website for more details!

Application Deadline: January 16, 2020 at 11:59PM – APPLY HERE

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